Seeking feedback for my travel and shopping blog
 

Ladies-

Happy to have found this sub here! I hope it's ok to post this feedback request here, if not please let me know.

After finding no good resources for shopping while traveling (magazines always seem to suggest overpriced, designer type options) and guidebooks were always too vague-- I started blogging about it myself. I am gearing the site to people like me (I'm a lawyer who travels a lot for work and for vacation)-- we want to bring something fun and unique home, but don't want to waste a lot of time shopping or go out of our way just to buy something.

So I've been blogging for about 5 months now-- I don't have ads or make any $$ doing it, it's just a hobby. I try and build in cultural quirks of the area along with the actual stuff (since it's just as much about the experience of shopping than the actual thing). I am not tech savvy at all so I think my site could look a lot better so I am still working on that part.

Thoughts/feedback? http://souvenirfinder.com

Thank you!

I must say the post about dogs in Vienna was entertaining, with nice photos. Good luck with your blog.

As a dog lover I loved your Vienna blog as well. And mentioning a bearded collie (my absolute favourite breed) in your opening sentence had me hooked!)

I've book marked your page to read regularly.

Thanks for the kind words ladies-- I am a very beginner photographer so most of my cute dog photos from Vienna are a big tail blur.

@Cassie55-- that bearded collie that I photographed was so gorgeous that when I came home I went on instagram to check out other peoples' bearded collie photos. If I didn't live in a tiny apartment that dog would be mine!

I was hoping to get more reader souvenir photo submissions so it would be more of a database but it hasn't happened yet. So the range of souvenirs I'm writing about is currently limited to where I've been, but fortunately I travel often. : )

One of my favorite things to cover are foreign grocery stores, so I'll be putting up a bunch of posts on those soon too. Other tips: some museum gift shops are great, some are meh-- plan to feature the best ones.

Thinking about adding shopping tip posts like how to shop for gifts while you're on a biz trip etc.

If anyone has more ideas on what you'd find helpful (or not helpful) please post!

I love to go to grocery stores in other countries also! Can get more of an idea of living in the country and I also like to pick up some cookies, etc to bring home for myself and as souveniers
I was only able to briefly look at your blog but liked it very much, thanks for posting here

I really like the design of your blog. I love that it's not cluttered. I too love going to grocery stores. I love olive oil from Spain, especially Marques de Grinon, Abbae de Queiles and many others. Superb! I always buy for myself and for souvenirs. I also love beauty products and Paris is great for that.

Really like it
 

I like the look--very nice. More importantly, I love the concept!

One of my favorite shopping/recreational things to do is to hit up charity/resale shops. You can find very cool souvenirs and/or practical items. And, to me, the memories are way better than just buying something from an expensive shop.

In Hawaii, hubby and I drove around the big island and went to many--cheap way to buy aloha shirts! We got him some really nice ones for $7 or under....

But the best memory is that one of the shops had a big aluminum Christmas tree in the window. Hubby decided he wanted it. (Not sure why as we usually have a real tree...) We had to wait while they undecorated it. And getting it back to the mainland was a travel challenge. But now we have a real 6 ft aluminum Hawaiian Christmas tree :) It always make me grin.

BTW, the link for follow on google+ is not working for me.

I think this blog is great! Having done 2 trips to Europe in the past 2 years, I tend to shop for souvenirs the way you seem too! We're planning a trip to Vienna in the next few years so I will be sure to re-read your blog about this city when its time to go. Great job and look forward to many more future posts! Thanks for letting me know about your blog!

Thanks Ladies for all your comments. I'm making note of the recommendations for future trips. @gretchendz-- I would love to run a story about your aluminum Hawaiian tree if you have photos-- that is hilarious. I loved checking out Hawaiian vintage shops-- I collected all sorts of interesting things on a trip there but sadly lost them all in a break up.

@prmetime-- I'll be posting a lot more on Vienna, stay tuned. There was one shop I loved that I visited the first time that I couldn't find the name of no matter how much I googled-- fortunately I deliberately "got lost" and ended up walking past it! So lots of photos will be coming.

I am mulling over whether to include an area on the blog (not part of the regular posts, in a static area as a "page") on my recommended hotels and restaurants convenient for shopping. I stay with hotel points whenever I can so I'm not sure how useful it will be to the average reader.

I will look for photos--it's been awhile I'm not sure :)

I think adding hotels, restaurants you like near your shopping spots would be a nice addition.

You've got me thinking about off-beat travel shopping. My shopping/travel tip in Japan is to go to a department store and buy one of their cheap shopping bags (mine is highly quality nylon). Cheap and classy looking and useful. Will send a photo so you can see how classy :)
P.S. I've only been to Vienna once, but really enjoyed it :)

Sounds great! Thanks!

Grocery stores: I recently returned to Australia after living there 30 years ago. I went with my local friend to the grocery store and got hung up at the meat counter looking at the varieties of kangaroo meat. I couldn't resist photographing packages of ground kangaroo, kangaroo filets, and several others. I'm sure the regular shoppers thought I was nuts.

YES !!!

Until recently Kangaroo and Wallaby meat was considered dog food !!!

Kangaroo meat?? Wow I would definitely put that in a post! I like to show the stuff you can bring back to be useful, but it's also fun to add unexpected cultural bits like that.

Believe me I feel like a complete idiot taking photos in groceries stores-- or shops in general sometimes-- I put up a post recently about shopping for underwear at a dept store in London-- now those were some embarrassing photos to take!

If I start getting weird looks I just wait for the aisle to clear out or just use my iphone somewhat discreetly. Sometimes people are super helpful and friendly though.

Women's magazines can be a fun souvenir, too. Fashion trends are quite different in Asia from Stateside where fashion magazines seem to be producing mostly the same old thing month after month. Even the ads often showcase brands which are new to me. They make fun gifts for teenage girls or fashionistas.

+1 Grocery store explorer. I can easily skip the souvenir shop and head for the grocery store. Megamarts are fun, too. It is when I can't find a grocery or convenience store that I start to wonder where locals live and work...